A Well Known Stranger
by Neko Raiga
Summary: Who's the one placing flowers by the grave? Seems familiar...Wait...Why are /you/ here?  May have spoilers, or may not :3


**A/N: Wow...I''ve been pretty dead around here, haven't I...not that I've been very active from the beginning . (lurker FTW! :'D) Well, here's finally(or maybe not?) another fic from me~**

**Pairing is up to you to decide, even I don't know. It's quite a while since I wrote this...and lesse...the backstory to this...is uhm...well, I think it's another one of those fics that popped up in my mind when Itachi died.(Oopsie, a spoiler D: oh well. Xp)**** Sasuke's back basically, or maybe he never left? I don't know. It doesn't make sense to me anymore.**** I don't think it's finished, but I doubt I'll ever finish this so I think it's better to post it and let it gather dust on the net than on the harddisk of my laptop . Anyhow, without further ado, on to the story~**

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The wind howled, branches whipping in the strong air currents. A lone figure strolled up the hill on the almost nonexistent dirt trail. It was _that_ time of year again, and, as he'd been doing the past five years, Sasuke was again on his way to the little stone memorial he'd built in memory of his brother. Looking back on it now though, he wasn't sure if he had built it out of guilt or remembrance. Even now, he wasn't entirely certain if he really regretted killing his brother or not. After hearing Uchiha Madara's explanation of why Itachi had done what he did, Sasuke had seriously doubted it, but it made sense. The Itachi before the massacre would have made that same decision, probably. That was the kind of person Uchiha Itachi used to be anyway.

Sasuke sighed; he really couldn't help but feel a little down this day every year. Not much could be done about it, but his friends always managed to lighten his mood a little. He was really thankful to Naruto and the others from the former Rookie 9—and what was left of Team Gai he added as an afterthought—though he'd never admit it out loud.

_That reminds me, I've gotta go with Naruto-tachi to visit that Hyuuga's grave soon._

Neji had vanished a couple of days before Itachi's death and labeled as MIA about a week later, until they found evidence of his death and was declared DIA. Though there was some skepticism around the fact that Neji was in fact dead; they had after all never found his body or any other bodily traces.

Not that Sasuke particularly cared about the Hyuuga, but Naruto, who cared all too much about all of his friends, really wouldn't let it go. Thus he'd probably drag the Uchiha with him to the grave on the day, completely ignoring any verbal discontentment. Of course, Sasuke had always looked at the Hyuuga with a certain amount of respect—mostly only as an acknowledgement of the brunette's strength—so he would definitely not be disrespectful to the people who were mourning him on the anniversary of his death.

Sasuke shook his head. Now was not the time to think about Neji.

_Almost there_, he thought, as he saw the little awkwardly bent tree with a small triangular stone beside it up front. The grass had grown tall, brushing his fingertips as he snaked through the small space between the trees. A little further, the tiny path he'd been taking opened up into a small clearing.

As his gaze went in the general direction of the stone figurine, his eyes widened. There was a small bouquet of white flowers laid in front of the stone raven, but that wasn't what shocked him the most. It was the woman kneeling before the statue, tying a piece of cloth around the raven's neck.

"Who the hell are you and what are you doing here?" the words escaped his mouth before he even thought.

The woman turned her head slightly towards Sasuke, her hair hiding most of her face. "Isn't it obvious?" Her voice was a quite low pitch for a female, and for some reason, it sounded vaguely familiar.

He looked her over. Long brown hair tied in a loose braid that would probably reach around mid thigh if she was standing. Lean form, though it was hard to determine from under that loose fitting black shirt, and the equally black skirt that hid the shape of her legs entirely.

"You still haven't answered my first question."

_Snort _"I don't need to tell you when you already know."

_Growl _"How the hell am I supposed to know who you are when we just met?"

_Laugh _"Just met? My, you really are blind aren't you?" It sounded more like a statement than a question.

"You—I bet I have better eyes than you!"

"Sorry, I'd win that bet…or…we'd be on equal terms, I'd say."The woman stood up and brushed off some dust. "Well…it was nice talking to you again Sasuke. Our paths might cross some time in the future. It'll be fun to see if you'll remember me." She took a small step from the statue and did some hand signs, signaling her intent to leave.

"Wait! How do you know my name?" Sasuke demanded.

She turned to face him, pale lavender eyes bore into him for a moment, before the figure disappeared in a flutter of leaves. A faint whisper echoed through the trees. "You already know, you arrogant Uchiha."

He stared at the spot where the brunette had occupied a moment before. It just wasn't possible, or was it? Though, why did the brunette come here of all places? Why even talk to the Uchiha when they never really talked before? Tons of questions welled up inside his mind, none of which had any concrete answers.

Shifting his gaze to the stone raven and the flowers he half gasped. The ends of the cloth moved lazily in the wind, the metal plate clinking softly when it came in contact with the stone. The straight slash along the length of the plate, straight through the leaf, highlighted in the middle of the silvery shine. Itachi's Hitai-ate.

Muttering profanities under his breath, Sasuke turned back the way he came. No need to waste time on a memorial that already had gotten its share of attention.

_I'm not going to that damned Hyuuga's grave,_ he decided, why visit a grave of someone who was still alive. Though next time they met, he'd make sure that he got some answers, and good ones at that.

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**A/N: K...if anyone has any ideas as to how to continue this and wants me to continue, please do drop a note or something? I'm pretty stumped, and I hate leaving things unfinished...otherwise I'll just leave it as it is.**

**As usual: R&R plz? Comments are very much appreciated, constructive criticism more than welcome, and flames? please. Leave me be. Have some respect and turn a blind eye. It won't hurt you.  
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